


Love Is

by Sidders



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-13
Updated: 2012-03-13
Packaged: 2017-11-01 21:47:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidders/pseuds/Sidders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six little ficlets inspired by Love According to Kids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Is

_**“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.”** _

Emma couldn’t work out exactly when she stopped hating Regina. After a long conversation (and a lot of apple cider) they had begun to tolerate each other – Regina invited Emma over for dinner every now and then to spend time with Henry, and in return Emma stopped secretly referring to her as “Her Royal Bitchiness.”

At some point, though, Regina’s snide comments lost their bite. Around the same time Emma found herself visiting the Mills’ house for more than just Henry.

*

_**“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt and he wears it every day.”** _

“Henry?”

Henry skidded to a halt by the front door, turning to look at his mother.

“Weren’t you wearing that shirt yesterday? Go change!” He rolled his eyes and marched up the stairs. “And hurry up.”

He didn’t change his shirt. He just rummaged around in his closet for a moment then ran back downstairs with his jacket zipped up. If Regina noticed, she didn’t say anything.

It was all worth it when Emma dropped him off at the playground – running from the car so fast, it was a miracle that he didn’t fall over – and he found the Zimmer siblings.

“Weren’t you wearing that yesterday?” Ava eyed the t-shirt through his now open jacket. As he blushed she rolled her eyes, shoved his shoulder and called him a dork. Nicholas made a noise of disgust.

*

_**“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”** _

Mary Margaret wasn’t a big coffee drinker. She felt safe in the realms of her cinnamon-sprinkled hot chocolate – it was familiar, something she  _knew_. But upon seeing how tired she looked, Ruby wasn’t having any of it.

“That’s not what I ordered,” Mary Margaret frowned at the mug placed in front of her.

“I know,” Ruby beamed. “You look exhausted, so I made you something a little stronger.”

“Ruby, you know I hate coffee.”

“You’ve never had  _my_  coffee. Just try it!”

After a moment of the older woman eyeing both the waitress and the coffee, Ruby rolled her eyes. “Here,” she picked up the mug and took a sip, placing it back down on the table. “See? It’s fine.”

Mary Margaret laughed, and yeah, okay, maybe the coffee was pretty good.

*

_**“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”** _

One of the worst things about being stuck in hospital, Kathryn decided, was the food. She’d been there for a few days now and was only just being allowed to eat solid food. When Doctor Whale had told her, followed by placing a plate of hospital food in front of her, she had secretly thought that “solid” was exaggerating a little.

He’d been there almost the whole time – the man that found her. She didn’t even know his name, just that he was the school’s gym teacher and that he’d been waiting outside whenever he wasn’t working. He was late today, and Kathryn mentally scolded herself for even noticing. As he moved to sit down, brown paper bag in hand, Kathryn called out to him. “You can come in, you know.”

He looked startled for a moment and looked around as if afraid a nurse would come along to tell him otherwise, then finally walked in. He took one look at the barely touched food on the table by Kathryn’s bed and grinned, reaching into the bag he held and pulling out something wrapped in foil. “Sandwich?”

*

_**“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”** _

Henry had long gone to bed when the argument started. It was hard for either of them to remember how it started or what it was about as Emma’s hand tangled in Regina’s hair, pressing their lips together. It was different than either thought – no fight for dominance – and it’s the very fact that Emma  _had_  thought about it that makes her take a step back. “I’m sorry, I’ll just -” she turned to leave, only to be stopped by a hand gripping her wrist.

“Emma.”

It’s the first time Regina has said her name without adding “Swan” to the end. Hearing her say it made Emma feel oddly warm and relaxed.

*

_**“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”** _

Regina was right when they first met – she was the one to handle ten years of colds and fevers. Emma was completely out of her depth, had no idea what to do as she watched Regina smooth a blanket over her son. She still knelt down by the other side of the bed, opposite Regina, when Henry asked for her. Regina kissed his forehead, followed by Emma stroking his hair, and as they both watched their son Emma wondered if this was that family thing she kept hearing about.


End file.
